Design - Tall Thin Hall Problem...

[Maria]

Victorian terrace with a tall but thin entrance hall. Completely redecorating it - how can I make it look not as tall but wider? Ceiling is 10 feet, length around 12 feet, width It had a nasty carolina front door and dado rails which I have removed for decorating. We have a replacement door being put in which is 3/4 arched glass with a single wide panel at the bottom, which should help. There are two inner doors and staircase off (sideways) and a large radiator, so not much room for putting anything fancy in. There's also a plaster arch at the rear end just before the stair area, but the arch has seen much better days and can't really be repaired so I will remove it.

Any do's and don'ts?

[sm_jamieson]

User mirrors and lighting to make it look wider. Horizontal lines will make it look wider. Put in a picture rail and paint above it the same colour as the ceiling. Put lights just below the picture rail. Don't remove the arch, the hall will look even taller, and you will be ruining an original feature. Put in pendant lights hanging low-ish (if you like them). Just a few thoughts. Simon.

[Dave Baker]

Have a really tall skinny bird dressed in vertical black and white stripes stand in it when guests come round?

[Styx]

You mean an ostrich in a zebra skin?

[Simon]

Could you put in some high-level shelving, a bit like the luggage racks on railway carriages, perhaps with lighting underneath. I'm not sure whether this would make the hall look wider, but you'd have more storage space.

Alternatively, put in another ceiling and create a secret extra room. I've wanted a house with a priest hole ever since I read about them in a Blue Peter annual.

[Owain]

Wide horizontal stripes?

Owain

[Maria]

Oh god, that sounds like the other half's ex. No thanks!

[Maria]

Thanks. What about the dado, or should I just stick with a picture rail? The arch really is destroyed - it had nice grapes hanging at either side once (I've seen the one in next door!), but due to the difficulty of getting furniture up the stairs as they go sideways, half of the arch has been knocked out by previous owners. One side it's been sawn off above where the grapes would be - the other side is just sloping to the wall higher up where it has been mangled. Shame. There really is nothing I can do with it, and I wouldn't know how to replace it - basic bonding and skimming plaster is about my limit!

[Andy Hall]

Our very own Anna Kettle specialises in this type of thing....

[The Medway Handyman]

Does that description really fit Andy?

[sm_jamieson]

Depends on taste. Dado rails were originally to stop chairs scraping the wall, and I'm not sure if they would have had them in hallways. Also, they reduce the width !

I'd certainly try to replace the arch - these are the most distinctive feature of those Victorian terraces. I've often looked at these type of houses and wondered how they get any modern furniture through the front door - seems so narrow. You can buy plaster reproductions that are just glued up. Are you saying you can do skimming to some standard ? If so I'm impressed (I can do most jobs, but not plastering). Simon.

[John Rumm]

Which is in effect what the traditional arrangement of coving, picture rail and dado rail tends to create. White ceiling, cove, and wall above the picture rail, then something different below, and possibly another change for a darker colour below the dado - possibly on a heavy embossed paper.

[cj]

Hi At all costs don't remove the arch. If as you say its Victorian then the arch will hide the landing header and be tied into the middle room wall . Also these walls will be lathe and plaster and may even hide electrical conduits. If you really have to remove it then do an exploratory hole at roof level where it joins the inner wall. As for your height problems someone once said " to get rid of an eyesore make it a feature" try running a picture rail round or even a high level picture shelf with uplighting or ornaments. Just some more thoughts to ponder.

CJ

[Owain]

Or still-live pipes for gas lighting

Owain